The request to close off Carterville Road at the University Parkway bridge ran into a roadblock Tuesday night, if not a dead end.
"I will state unequivocally I will never vote to close Carterville Road at the south end," said Mayor Stella Welsh, after considerable discussion on an ad hoc committee's report."I have expressed my opposition from the first," said Councilman Timothy Christensen, council representative on the committee.
However, Christensen said, it's time for the council to decide if it's merely paying lip service to the concept of keeping Carter-ville Road a rural street or is serious about maintaining the pristine environment promised for 20 years to the residents there.
Ted Hyatt, chairman of the committee, said the mandate handed to him was to find a way to maintain the rural flavor of the road.
"The only way to preserve the rural nature of Carterville is to remove the through traffic," Hyatt said. "This commuter traffic, through traffic, Provo-Orem traffic, whatever you call it, is the traffic doing the speeding and passing. The local residents aren't the problem."
Hyatt brought the committee's report to the council in regular session Tuesday. Councilman Kelvin Clayton moved to accept the report, but further action will be delayed until at least June 28.
"We need time to study this out," Clayton said.
"I'll vote to accept the report as long as it's understood there's no guarantee perceived from that," said Councilman Stephen Sandstrom.
Residents along Carterville Road said the road is far too narrow to support the kind of traffic that is using the street.
Richard Manning, director of public works for Orem, explained that Provo City has several concerns about the possible closure, including the shift of travel from Carterville onto other arteries, the loss of an evacuation route between Orem and Provo, the closure of emergency access for both cities and loss of access to the Upper Silver Shadows subdivision in Provo.
One Orem resident, Earl Farnworth, pointed out that when the north end of Carterville Road was blocked just past 400 South, the traffic on Palisade Drive increased dramatically.
"I don't feel in fairness to the whole city, you can close another road in Orem," he said. "I'm sure that nearly every street in Orem could echo the same concerns about increasing traffic and safety issues."
Manning said the city must look seriously at extending 800 South to connect with University Avenue, in lieu of the closure or even with the closure.
Manning said the increased east-west flow of traffic would discourage the north-south travel once the intersection was realigned and safe.
If the request to close the road is denied, Hyatt said, there are other options the committee pulled together, including pushing for an 800 South intersection and placing a series of stop signs on the intersections along Carterville. Also, traffic laws could be enforced more vigorously.
Welsh said her understanding is that more tickets are already issued for violations on Carterville than in most other areas of the city.
"I wouldn't be opposed to seeing a Photo-Cop go in there," she said.
A traffic signal at University Avenue and Orem Center Street would reduce pressure on 800 South, Hyatt said.
"Do something there, if only for the good of the joggers and bikers," said another resident.